Saint Mary Major is one of the four major churches in Rome known as patriarchal basilicas. It is the largest church in the world honoring Mary. This day is also known as the feast of Our Lady of the Snows because of the Blessed Mother’s intercession during a crisis in that city.
Read MoreWhile the British military burned the federal properties of Washington during the War of 1812, some soldiers sought souvenirs to commemorate their conquest of the nascent U.S. capital. Seized by a British officer, one particular American bible in the Rare Book and Special Collections Division bears the marks of its dramatic removal, its captivity, and later its homecoming to the United States.
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